


Philia

by YouUselessSpork



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Comic, Destiny, Eleven | Jane Hopper Goes by Eleven or El, Eleven | Jane Hopper is bisexual, Gay Will Byers, Happy Ending, I'm Sorry, Light Angst, Marvel Universe, Minor Character Death, Minor Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Mystique - Freeform, Northstar - Freeform, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Sibling Bonding, Siblings Will Byers & Eleven | Jane Hopper, bonding over comics, but not outwardly mentioned, hopper is dead, ms marvel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:15:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26964292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YouUselessSpork/pseuds/YouUselessSpork
Summary: Will wasn’t sure how he was supposed to interact with El when they were initially moved out of Hawkins.After all, he’s never talked to the girl before.(Title is the greek word for Familial Love/ Platonic love. )
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Will Byers & Eleven | Jane Hopper
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	Philia

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, this is so short, I've been stressed to say the very least. If you noticed, i deleted 'I Wanna Be. A Cowboy Baby' then id also like to apologize. The fic was fun and i loved the positivity people gabe me for it, but i wanted to rewrite it and deleted it. I'm currently working on the rewrite (which will be renamed as well because the vine had no correlation with the plot) so I'm hoping it'll be done soon! 
> 
> I wanted to give you guys the El and Will sibling bond and what better way than paralleling the Elmax comic scene, only with a platonic sibling scene? And with nods towards how I headcanon Will? And how I headcanon El? This is honestly just a wlw mlm solidity fic

**Will wasn’t sure how he was supposed to interact with El when they were initially moved out of Hawkins.**

Sure, he knew things about her. Like how she has- _ had-  _ superpowers, and that she loves  _ Eggos  _ for some unknown reason. She was also close to the chief, something he picked up on at the Snowball when she regrouped with the others and got to talking. 

“ _ He was protecting me. Said bad men still wanted me.”  _ She’d told them, a cup in hand as they sat in a circle. Will was on Mike’s other side, playing with a napkin silently. “ _ I forgave him.” _

It was still weird knowing that the chief had grown close with a kid, especially with his faint memories of the chief coming over when neighbors complained about his dad’s yelling. He couldn’t recall much of their interactions, but he did remember how awkward and drawn back the chief was from him, opting to talk to his mother more than the two kids sat outside. He just had to remind himself that he wasn’t El, he didn’t need a father figure like she did, and while she was still learning things, she could take care of herself well, at least from what WIll heard.

After all, he’s never talked to the girl before. 

It wasn’t even intentional, in fact, he  _ wanted  _ to talk to her. But whenever she _ is _ around, the world seems to be falling apart above them, and Will personally didn’t think that’s the best time to ask the girl her opinion on tabletop board games. Who knows though. 

So he didn’t know  _ what  _ to say to her, or even what she knew. Sure, she had been learning things from the group, especially from Mike and Max, but that still didn’t give him a proper outline. He barely knew Max as it was and Mike...Mike was changing so much that Will couldn’t really think of what he’d show her. 

So he was left with no plans, no ideas, and no information. 

_Great._

He sighed softly, staring outside the window. About two hours into the drive the two cars had to stop for gas, and Will’s mom decided that El should drive with the boys, insisting she’d be happy to at least be with one Party Member. 

“ _ It’ll be good at least to have a close friend with you, even if you won’t be at home.” _

Neither he nor El corrected her on her assumption, and El simply compiled, taking the seat in between Johnathan and Will. She claimed that she would see more of the road that way but Will just wondered if she just wanted some sprinkle of comfort after the Chief’s demise. 

The stop had been only an hour ago and already Will could feel his legs cramping some, too used to the position that he kept them in. He crossed him, letting his left rest over the right, and pressed his forehead against the cool glass to calm the inflamed skin. He could faintly hear the sound of his father telling him to suck it up, to quit being a baby and for once he wondered if the man had a point. But then he remembered seeing his mom sob after killing a hundred monsters and realized his dad could shove it because crying seemed to be the bravest thing to do. 

A tap against his knuckle pulled him from the images behind his eyelids and he turned to face El, her eyes soft as she stared at him. She held a comic in her hands, her fingers thumbing over the sleek paper as if to distract her. Like she was fidgeting. 

“What’s this word?” She asked softly, the slightest hint of blush over his cheeks as she showed Will the paper. She seemed embarrassed to ask, and the way she looked away confirmed the suspicion. 

He sat up some, looking at the page. It was from an old Captain America comic, one from when he was too young to read and he tapped where she pointed, clarifying that it was the word she was stuck on. She nodded softly. 

“ ‘ _ Inquiry’  _ means to ask a question. I guess here though it means an interrogation.” He explained, peaking at the panel it came from. 

The panel held two characters, Red Skull and Donna Maria. The woman was threatening the nazi character and he seemed heavily intimidated by her. He knew the story well and recognized some of the pencil marks on the outside edges of the comic. 

“You got this from Mike, didn’t you?” He asked, a cold feeling entering his chest. 

The feeling seemed to be his closest friend during the hot summer days, keeping him company whenever his friends abandoned him in favor of the girls they chased. He didn’t like it, the sinking ice reminding him too much of  _ him  _ and his influence on Will, but he dealt with it, sometimes welcoming it when he felt like dropping down to cry. It was just another new feeling he’d have to deal with, a new normal he’d have to begrudgingly adjust to. 

El nodded, a sad half-smile playing at her lips as she touched over the paper edge, the action reminding Will of when he would do the same action so many years ago, the comic being tucked in his lap as he sat in Mike’s bottom bunk, the light from his lamp shining enough to let them see each other, but not too bright. He remembers tapping a pencil against that very page, sketching out some panels for Mike as a Christmas gift.

“He gave it to me after Halloween..” She explained, looking at the speech bubbles. “For our ‘anniversary’?” She said the word so unsure. 

“You guys are already giving each other anniversary gifts? Gosh, you guys are still babies though.” Jonathan spoke up to tease, a gentle reminder he was in the car.

El furrowed her eyebrows and tucked some hair behind her ear. “Hopper says babies are small.” She frowned, her eyes tilting downward some at the mention of the man. Will winced some but recovered for his brother. 

“He’s just kidding, he’s saying you’re young.” He explained. 

“That’s confusing.”

“All adults are.” He pointed out.

El smiled softly at that and Will felt himself smile in return, not even upset when Johnathan flicked his nose. In fact, he just laughed, his nose wrinkling some as he stuck his tongue out at the other. El laughed with them, helping clear the air of any depressing tension that could’ve come from the mention of the late officer. 

As they settled Will turned to the girl, finding a point of interest for her. She must like Captain America, after all, it’s been almost a year since she received the comic, surely she and Mike read it together, warranting her to now re-read it. So, he turned to her. 

“So, you like Captain America?” He asked, even if he had an answer already. 

El pursed her lips for a moment before shrugging softly. “ ‘s alright, just…” She trailed off before shrugging once more, her eyes moving back to the page in front of her. 

Will frowned some, sensing the lack of satisfaction the girl was getting from the story. He wanted to ask why, but he figured it was the same reason he wasn’t a big fan of Aquaman, he just didn’t click with it. 

“Well...who’s your favorite hero? I might have some comics you can read?” He asked, smiling softly. If he was gonna be living with the girl, he might as well be nice to her, and what better way than by offering to let her read some comics? Besides, he owed her for all she’d done for him.

She looked up, trying to think before suddenly speaking. “Max showed me Wonder Woman, said I might like it.” She explained. 

“She is pretty cool, but I think I know someone even cooler.” He grinned, moving to his feet where he’d made a point of placing a backpack with a few comics, knowing he’d get bored on the ride to their new house. 

He brushed past a few comics, the multicolored titles of  _ Alpha Fight, Mystique,  _ and  _ Destiny  _ meeting his eyes as he searched for the one he wanted. When he finally came across the book he grinned, pulling it out and making sure none of the pages were crumpled before offering it to the girl. She hesitated, looking down at the cover before taking it, flipping it so it was the right side up. She read over the title slowly and raised her eyebrows.

“Ms. Marvel?” She asked softly, turning to Will who nodded excitedly. The comic was a  [ _ Marvel Teamup _ ](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/0/0a/Marvel_Team-Up_Vol_1_62.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20181231000413) __ comic he’d gotten a few years ago as a present. He loved the comic dearly but was willing to part with it temporarily so that El could read it. 

“Yeah! That's her on the cover, she teams up with Spiderman and fights her enemies, the Skrull! She’s not my  _ favorite  _ superhero but she is pretty badass,” He grinned, ignoring the raised eyebrow Johnathan sends him in response to his cussing. He’d said worse before. 

“Pretty.” She points out, touching the image with a soft smile, seemingly admiring the hero’s blond hair. Will shrugged some at her observation. 

“I guess so,” He hummed. El gave him a surprised look at his words, looking at Will as if she were trying to read him. He just looked away, deciding to grab himself a comic so he could avoid her eyes. While he doubted she’d be able to read into his words- after all, Mike never could and they’d each other since they were  _ five _ \- he still felt that chill of anxiety that questioned  _ what if? _

_ Would she hate you? Would she tell Mike? Would she laugh? What if she- _

“Your favorite?” El spoke up, her eyes trailed on Will when he turned to face her again. Her head was tilted softly and she tapped the edge of the comic in her hands. 

“My favorite what?”

“You’re favorite character,” She explained, “You said Ms. Marvel wasn’t your favorite, who is?”

Will nodded in understanding and shuffled into his bag, “Well, I like Spiderman, he’s kinda a second favorite, but the stop spot,” He pulled out the comic he was looking for and flipped through until he found what he wanted, “goes to him. Northstar.”

The hero sat [ proudly on the page ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2d/17/6c/2d176cf098bddd97743b56a0f57d2776.jpg) , next to his team as they prepared to face off against the Xmen. He pointed him out, grinning to himself. 

“He’s really cool, even if he isn’t as flashy as the others. He can fly super fast but his sister, Aurora can fly for longer than him.” He pointed out the girl and El’s eyes lit up. He thought he heard her whisper the word to herself but he didn’t point it out. “He’s really cool in my opinion, even if he’s not super popular.”

“He looks cool,” El offered, scrunching her nose as she smiled. “Bitchin’.”

Will laughed, his eyes crinkling. “Yeah, he is pretty bitchin’ huh?” 

The two laughed together and Will finally mustered the courage to offer friendship. “If you want we can read them together? It might help you understand the comics better?” He offered, a little nervous she’d say no. He didn’t want her thinking he was some weirdo. 

She looked at him for a moment before grinning, nodding her head softly and taking the comic from Will’s hand, laying it across their laps. “This one first.” She decided, looking at the panels. Will smiled softly, joining at her side. Their shoulders bumped but neither cared, too entranced by the pages.

As they sat together, reading the panels and grinning at the jokes together, Will felt a warmth in his chest, feeling a warmth he hadn’t had since returning from the Upside Down. Like he was back in the basement, surrounded by the friends he missed oh so dearly. 

Leaving their friends left the two with aching hearts, something they each knew wouldn't leave until they were back with their group, but for now, they had each other, and that's more than they could hope for. 

They'd get through it. Together. 


End file.
